W.A.I.T. Part 3: Desiring Your Timing, Not God's Timing

As a recent graduate from a Master's program, I have had to meet many frustrations head on that involve the timing of circumstances in my life. Back in August, I was immensely frustrated that everybody else seemed to have direction in their lives while I was floundering. I kept wondering why others had become successfully employed while I remained on the sidelines. What I seemed to be forgetting was that God has a purpose behind every situation and circumstance in our lives. Also, I was forgetting that God is outside of the function of time, which is clearly outlined in 2 Peter 3:8-9 ~ "But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance."
In hindsight, I can understand why I had to struggle through unemployment. If I had become employed right out of school, I probably would not have given God the credit. Instead, I had to wait until December to find any sort of employment, and that still is not full-time or in my field, but I think I am more thankful for that than I would have ever been with a full-time position in exercise science back in August. The waiting period taught me how to rely on God and not on myself. I had lost the ability to enjoy the blessings I had in my life, and had become too distanced from God, so He stripped me down so that I would humble myself and come back to Him. God wanted to use His timing in order to teach me a lesson, and I'm forever grateful.
We all need to remember to be patient in life. Instead of immediately assuming that God has forgotten about us, we should instead remember that He is just preparing something greater in order to glorify Himself. In my young adults group, there are some single individuals who I'm sure wish they could find the right person to marry. It is hard to trust that all will work out in the end, but that is why we need to be close to God to build up our faith. This is true for all situations in life, whether it be deciding where to go to school, where to get a job, or what car to purchase. These are decisions that require prayerful consideration, and we must trust that God will answer when it is most appropriate.
On top of that, we all yearn to once again be with Jesus, but we have to be patient for that as well. To please God and glorify Him, we must live pure lives, assuming that each day could be our last. I believe 2 Peter 3:10-14 outlines this warning quite well because it states, "But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells. So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him."
Partnered with this, we must refute all of those people that we know who claim that the world is coming to an end in December. It would be ridiculous to assume that we mere humans would be privy to such information. If people continually insist that the end of the world is coming, I suggest that you refresh their memories about how Y2K was supposed to destroy all technology, but surprise, surprise, that New Year went off without a hitch or computer glitch. An even more reliable source that you should turn people towards is the Bible. It flat out states that nobody but God is aware of when the Second Coming will occur, along with the end of the world. All one needs to do is turn to Matthew 24:36-37, which states, "'But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.'"
Again, we must all remember to be patient in life. Not everything will happen when we want it to, and some situations will arise that we wish never did. What is important is that we all remember that God has a plan and a purpose behind every action and situation in our lives. He will bless you when He sees fit. Holding this concept close to your heart will help you to thrive in your current circumstances.